1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorized retractable line for use with a watercraft and intended for towing a water skier or other objects behind the watercraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Water skiing is a popular recreational activity. The skier attaches one or two skis to his or her feet and is then towed behind a power boat or personal watercraft using a water ski tow rope. One end of the tow rope is provided with a handle for the water skier to grasp. As the boat or watercraft, and consequently the skier being towed, gains speed, the ski or skis hydroplane allowing the skier to glide over the surface of the water.
It is often times desirable to vary the length of rope between a water skier and the watercraft towing the water skier. For example, when turning close to shore a shorter rope may be desirable, while a longer length of tow rope may be necessary when making a jump off a ramp. Also, when a water skier falls it would be desirable to retrieve the tow rope to prevent the handle at the end of the tow rope from dragging in the water and possibly causing injury to a fallen water skier. For these reasons, water ski tow rope retrieval systems have been proposed in the art as can be seen from the references cited below. However, none of the references cited below teach or suggest the unique structural features of the present invention. Further, none of the systems discussed in the documents cited below are particularly well suited for use with personal watercraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,282, issued to J. Thomas Wolner on Jun. 9, 1998, is directed to a retractable lifeline extender having a remote control capability. The Wolner device includes an electric motor for powered payout and retraction of a lifeline to a user located below the device. The device is actuated by a hand-held remote control unit. The Wolner device is intended primarily for tethering workers working on high scaffolds or building structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,219, issued to David S. Fleming, Jr. on May 27, 1997, is directed to a multiple-spool water ski tow rope retriever. The Fleming, Jr. device includes a motor driven shaft which passes through a plurality of spools. There is a fluid coupling between the shaft and the spools and only spools that are not pulling a water skier get automatically reeled in.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,200, issued to Robert Ritzenthaler on Aug. 24, 1993, is directed to a rope winding device having a spool and a drive motor for winding the spool. The Ritzenthaler device also includes a solenoid which functions to selectively move the spool into and out of engagement with the drive motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,777, issued to Trent T. Rasmussen on Dec. 19, 1989, is directed to an ice fishing device for automatically winding fishing line onto a reel. The apparatus of Rasmussen includes a hand grip connected to one end of a reel shaft, a motor with a rotatable drive shaft connected to the other end of the reel shaft, a projecting trip shaft pin positioned on the drive shaft, a power source connected to the motor, and a push button for actuating the operation of the motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,141, issued to James R. Soleau on Nov. 25, 1986, is directed to a tow rope handling system for a boat. The system of Soleau is designed to trigger an alarm when a tow rope is released by a water skier. The system of Soleau also includes a reel and a winding mechanism for varying the length of the tow rope extending between the boat and the water skier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,496, issued to Richard H. Zetah on Jan. 9, 1979, is directed to a water ski tow rope retriever. The Zeta device includes a reel and an electric motor which acts to rotate the reel so as to retrieve a water ski tow rope.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,213, issued to Lee R. McGinnis on Jul. 4, 1978, is directed to a dual role water ski tow rope retriever. The device of McGinnis includes a reel which is movable between a vertical-axis position and a horizontal-axis position. In its vertical-axis position the reel is rotatable by an electric motor. The horizontal-axis position of the reel allows the paying out of tow rope without the rotation of the reel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,425, issued to Nelson C. Septor, Sr. on Jun. 22, 1976, is directed to a water ski tow rope retracting device. The device of Septor, Sr. includes a reel, which is rotated by a belt and pulley arrangement, and an electric motor which drives the belt and pulley arrangement via a worm gear drive.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 334,960, issued to David G. Goodman on Apr. 20, 1993, shows the ornamental design for a retractable water ski rope which includes a reel having a quantity of rope wound around the reel.
German Patent Application Number 33 32 856 A1, published on Mar. 28, 1985, is directed to a hose coiling and uncoiling mechanism having a drum around which the hose is wound. The drum drive system is controlled by remote control using a radio transmitter.
Soviet Document Number 397467, published on Sep. 17, 1973, is directed to a power driven reel for winding and unwinding wire in the presence of a high voltage. The reel is operated by remote control.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is directed to a water ski tow rope retrieval and payout system. The system includes a reel having a quantity of tow rope wound therearound. The reel is powered by an electric motor through a drive shaft which is also coupled to an electrically controlled brake or clutch. The brake or clutch acts to keep the drive shaft, and thus the reel, from rotating freely when the electric motor is not being used to pay out or retrieve tow rope. An embodiment of the water ski tow rope retrieval and payout system having radio remote control is also disclosed. The system of the present invention is particularly well suited for being retrofitted to existing personal watercraft, however, the system of the present invention may also be retrofitted to other types of watercraft or may be built into newly manufactured watercraft of all types.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a system for powered retrieval and pay-out of a water ski tow rope.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for powered retrieval and pay-out of a water ski tow rope that is suitable for use on personal watercraft.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system for powered retrieval and pay-out of a water ski tow rope that can be easily retrofitted to existing watercraft.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system for powered retrieval and pay-out of a water ski tow rope that can be operated by both the water skier and by the operator of the watercraft towing the water skier.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.